Compartmentalized container

ABSTRACT

A compartmentalized container filled with all of the ingredients for a desired cocktail or meal that can be easily dispersed into the traditional cup or glass for the desired cocktail or meal. The compartmentalized container including a container, a membrane placed on the open end of the container, a coupler attached to the open end of the container, the coupler is adapted to receive a glass.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 61/395,217 filed May 10, 2010, the contents of which areincorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a compartmentalized container. Moreparticularly, the invention provides a prefilled compartmentalizedcontainer having a plurality of separate components and a coupler whichcan be released into a standard drinking cup or container, to form adesired beverage or other form of meal.

Containers having multiple compartments containing all of theingredients needed to complete a desired cocktail beverage are wellknown. This arrangement is particularly advantageous where at least oneor more of the various ingredients degrades, discolors, or losesfreshness after mixing. Unfortunately, the compartmentalized containersare not aesthetically pleasing to the users, requiring the consumers tohave their cocktails transferred into a traditional glass specific forthe type of cocktail. Dispensing the ingredients from the knowncompartmentalized container into the traditional cup or glass isdifficult.

As can be seen, there is a need to provide a compartmentalized containerfilled with all of the ingredients for a desired cocktail that can beeasily dispersed into the traditional cup or glass for the desiredcocktail.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an objective of the present invention to provide acompartmentalized container filled with all of the ingredients necessaryto prepare a desired cocktail or meal which is easy to transport andmanipulate.

It is another objective of the present invention to provide acompartmentalized container including a coupler design to facilitatetransferring all the ingredients from the compartmentalized containerinto a traditional cup or glass for the desired cocktail or meal.

It is another objective of the present invention to provide a universalcoupler that allows connecting the compartmentalized container of thepresent invention with the traditional cup or glass for the desiredcocktail or meal, regardless of their size.

In one aspect of the present invention, a compartmentalized containerincluding a container, a membrane placed on the open end of thecontainer, a coupler attached to the open end of the container, thecoupler is adapted to receive a glass.

These and other features, aspects and advantages of the presentinvention will become better understood with reference to the followingdrawings, description and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 a illustrates an exploided view of a compartmentalized containeraccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention showing acoupler to be secure to the container;

FIG. 1 b illustrates an exploided view of a compartmentalized containeraccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention showingthe coupler integrated into the container;

FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective front view of the compartmentalizedcontainer and traditional glass of FIG. 1 in a non-working position;

FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective front view of the compartmentalizedcontainer and traditional glass of FIG. 1 in a working position;

FIG. 4 illustrates a detailed view of FIG. 2 showing the connectionbetween the compartmentalized container and the traditional glass;

FIG. 5 a illustrates a perspective front view of a coupler according toan exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 b illustrates a perspective front view of the coupler accordingto another exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 5 c illustrates a perspective front view of the coupler accordingto another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following detailed description is of the best currently contemplatedmodes of carrying out exemplary embodiments of the invention. Thedescription is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merelyfor the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention,since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims.

Various inventive features are described below that can each be usedindependently of one another or in combination with other features.

Broadly, embodiments of the present invention generally provide acompartmentalized container filled with all of the ingredients for adesired cocktail or meal that can be easily dispersed into thetraditional cup or glass for the desired cocktail or meal.

FIGS. 1 a-b illustrates a compartmentalized container 10 including acontainer 15 including a plurality of compartments 20 which separate andindependently store a predetermined amount of different ingredients forpreparing a desired cocktail or meal. The amount of the ingredients maydepend on the recipe of the desired cocktail or meal.

The container 15 includes a bottom end 25, a side wall 30 rising fromthe bottom end 25, and an open end 35 opposite of the bottom end 25. Amembrane 40 may be placed on the open end 35 of the container 15. Acoupler 45 may be securely attached to the open end 35 of the container15. The coupler 45 may be adapted to receive a traditional glass 50.

The container 15 may be made of a material suitable for holding liquids,edible material, solvent based materials, or corrosive materials. Insome embodiments, the container 15 may be made of plastic, paper coatedwith plastic or wax, glass, ceramic, metal, polymers, non-corrosivematerial, food grade material, or laminated materials. The size of thecontainer 15 may depend on the amount of cocktail, food, or mixture tobe prepared. The container 15 may have any standard shape for acontainer for holding liquids. In some embodiments, the container 15 mayhave the shape of a commercially available plastic cup or plastic glass.In some embodiments, the container 15 may be made of a transparentmaterial to allow the consumer to see ingredients.

The compartments 20 may be built into the container 15 or may be aseparated element from the container 15. The compartments 20 may be madeof a non-reactive and impermeable material. In some embodiments, thecompartments 20 may be made of plastic, paper coated with plastic orwax, polymers, or laminated materials. The number of compartments 20 maydepend on the number of ingredients necessary to prepare the cocktail.

The compartments 20 may be filled out with at least one of an alcoholiccomponent, egg-white, coconut milk, oranges, limes, grenadine, olives,cherries, menthe, lemon juice, syrup, bitters, mint, water, club soda,pineapples, fruits, fruit juice, sugar, water, honey, cream, milk,herbs, chocolate, vanilla, cereal, nuts, milk, or whatever is requiredfor the particular beverage or meal to be formed. The alcoholiccomponent may be rum, vodka, tequila, whiskey, scotch, Kahlua, Irishcream, Frangelico, amaretto, gin, or any other form of distilled spiritsor premixed liquors or alcohols.

In some embodiments, the container 15 and the compartment 20 may be madeof the same material or different materials.

The membrane 40 may be tightly fit into the open end 35 of the container15. The membrane 40 may seal each ingredient inside their respectivecompartment 20 preventing the unintended premature contact between theingredients. The membrane 40 may include a tap 42 to facilitate graspingthe membrane 40 when removing the membrane 40 from the open end 35 ofthe container 15. The membrane 40 may be made of a soft and food gradematerial. In some embodiments, the membrane 40 may be made of food gradeplastic, food grade silicone, rubber, cork, polymer, or foil.

The membrane 40 may be attached to the open end 35 of the container 15by using adhesive, pressure fitting, hot melt, or any other known methodwhich may create a watertight seal.

The traditional glass 50 may be any commercially available cup or glassused to serve a cocktail drink. The traditional glass 50 may be made ofplastic, glass, metal, ceramic, or foam. The traditional cup 50 may be amartini glass, a plastic cup, a standard glass, a margarita glass, afoam cup, a paper cup, or a coffee mug. The size of the traditionalglass 50 may be slightly larger than the size of the container 15.

The coupler 45 may be placed between the container 15 and thetraditional glass 50. The coupler 45 may form a watertight engagementbetween the container 15 and the traditional glass 50; thus, when turnedupside down they do not disengage.

The coupler 45 may have a top rim 55, a central portion 60, and bottomrim 65. The walls of the coupler 45 may taper from the top rim 55towards the central portion 60 and from the bottom rim 65 towards thecentral portion 60. The tapering of the walls of the coupler 45 providesthe coupler 45 with the ability to accept different sizes of traditionalglass 50, providing a universal size coupler.

The coupler 45 may be built into the container 15 or may be a separatepiece from the container 15. The coupler 45 may be designed to firmlyaccommodate the traditional glass 50 in the inside of the coupler 45 ora larger cup in the outside of the coupler 45. In some embodiments, thecoupler 45 may include a plurality of steps having different diameterson its interior side The plurality of internal steps may help to firmlyadapt or accommodate to the different sizes of traditional cups 50providing strong seal. Also, a seal of food grade material, plastic,silicone, rubber, cork, polymer or foil can be used to prevent anyspillage of the contents while shaking.

The bottom rim 65 of the coupler 45 may be securely attached to the openend 35 of the container 15 forming a watertight seal. The bottom rim 65may help in securing the membrane 40 to the open end 35 of the containeradding additional strength to the membrane 40. The top rim 55 of thecoupler may be adapted to be securely connected to an open end 70 of thetraditional glass 50.

The top rim 55 and the bottom rim 65 may include a locking means 75.

In one embodiment shown on FIG. 5 b, the locking mechanisms 75 mayinclude oppositely directed end portions that may engage by pressurewith the open end 35 of the container 15 and with the open end 70 of thecontainer 50 thereby forming a watertight assembly.

In another embodiment shown on FIG. 5 a, the locking mechanism 75 mayinclude threads on at least one of the ends of the coupler to secure thecoupler 45 to the container 15 and/or the traditional glass 50.

In another embodiment shown on FIG. 5 c, the locking mechanism 75 mayinclude lips placed on the top rim 55 and the bottom rim 65 to securethe coupler 45 to the container 15 and/or the traditional glass 50.

In another embodiment, the locking mechanism 75 may include clips,fasteners, or clamps placed on the top rim 55 and the bottom rim 65 tosecure the coupler 45 to the container 15 and/or the traditional glass50.

In some embodiments, the coupler 45 may include a piercing means (notshown) placed around the bottom rim 65 to pierce the membrane 40. Thepiercing means (not shown) may be blades or teeth.

The compartmentalized container 10 may provide the user with an easy wayto transport and serve a cocktail drink without requiring the user tolook for the ingredients. The compartmentalized container 10 may be usedby the transportation industry, including airlines, cruise ships, limos,and trains. It will no longer be necessary to take time out to mixdrinks while moving, and the mess involved with mixing drinks on themove can be avoided.

The user may remove the compartmentalized container 10 from the shippingpackage, remove the membrane 40 from the open end 35, secure the coupler45 to the open end 35, place a traditional glass 50 on the opposite sideof the coupler 45, and invert the container 15 to mix the ingredients.Optionally, the user may add ice to the cocktail.

The present invention may also include a kit containing the pre-filledcompartmentalized container 10 and the coupler 45. In some embodiments,the kit may include the traditional glass 50. The traditional glass 50on the kit may resemble the standard glass use to serve the cocktaildrink of the kit.

The compartmentalized container 10 according to the present inventionmay be use on the painting industry by filling the compartments 20 withpaints, sealants, primers, small brushes, thinner, or any other materialnecessary for repairing a wall.

It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing relates toexemplary embodiments of the invention and that modifications may bemade without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as setforth in the following claims.

1. A compartmentalized container comprising: a container including a topend, a bottom end, and a plurality of compartments; a membrane placed onthe open end of the container; a coupler attached to the open end of thecontainer, wherein the coupler is adapted to receive a glass.
 2. Thecompartmentalized container according to claim 1, wherein thecompartments are fill with a predetermined amount of differentingredients to prepare a cocktail drink.
 3. The compartmentalizedcontainer according to claim 1, wherein the compartments are built intothe container.
 4. The compartmentalized container according to claim 1,wherein the glass is a martini glass, a plastic cup, a standard glass, amargarita glass, a foam cup, a paper cup, or a coffee mug.
 5. Thecompartmentalized container according to claim 1, wherein the couplerforms a watertight engagement between the container and the glass
 6. Thecompartmentalized container according to claim 1, wherein the couplerincludes a top rim, a central portion, a bottom rim, and a wall risingfrom the bottom rim to the top rim, wherein the wall of the couplertapers from the top rim towards the central portion and from the bottomrim towards the central portion.
 7. The compartmentalized containeraccording to claim 1, wherein the coupler is built into the container.8. The compartmentalized container according to claim 6, wherein the toprim and the bottom rim include a locking means.
 9. The compartmentalizedcontainer according to claim 8, wherein the locking means includes atleast one of oppositely directed end portions, threads, lips, clips,fasteners, or clamps placed on the top rim and the bottom rim to securethe coupler to the container and the glass.
 10. The compartmentalizedcontainer according to claim 6, further including piercing means locatedaround the bottom rim.
 11. The compartmentalized container according toclaim 10, wherein the piercing means are selected from blades or teeth.